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Understanding intra-urban inequality in networked water supply in Wa, Ghana

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Abstract

Extant studies on urban water access in African cities have mainly explained inequalities from the socio-economic and political perspectives. However, the material dimension of water supply has received little attention in the literature, though it is central in urban water supply. This paper examined how physical infrastructure artifacts and properties shape water access in Wa, Ghana. To understand the spatial dynamics, the study applied intra-urban comparative approaches to systematically analyze and compare networked water infrastructure across four different socio-economic neighbourhoods within the city. Data were collected through document reviews, in-depth interviews with utility officials and customers of the water company in Wa. The study reveals important differences across the four neighbourhoods that were studied, in respect of the extent of physical network coverage and the technical qualities of principal mains. The study concludes that both the physical and technical properties of water supply networks influence the distribution of piped water supply in Wa. Our case study emphasizes the agency of material objects in shaping water access in cities, which thereby takes the analysis of inequalities in water access beyond simple socio-economic and political narratives.

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Source Authors’ construct (2020)

Fig. 2

Source Author’s construct (2020)

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All data for this article is available. However, public disclosure is not permitted due to data protection polies. To access the data, please contact the first author.

Notes

  1. Tiwale and colleagues define extra-water as additional water resulting from addition expansion in the water supply system’s capacity.

  2. Access to drinking water source on premises, access to sufficient quantities of drinking water at source when needed and access to faeces-free water at source.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Wa, especially the engineers, technicians, repairers and managers who agreed to respond to our engagements and meetings with them. We also thank the respondents in the four neigbourhoods who provided us useful responses during the study. Finally, we thank Godwin B. Naazie for supporting us with the field interviews.

Funding

The research was solely funded by the authors. We declare no competing financial interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Lazarus Jambadu

  2. Research Training Group, KRITIS, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

    Lazarus Jambadu

  3. Department of Planning, S.D. Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, P. O. Box UPW 3, Wa, Ghana

    Alfred Dongzagla

  4. Technology and Innovation Department (GIS Unit), Ghana Water Company Limited, P.O. Box 39, Wa, Ghana

    Ishmael Kabange

Authors
  1. Lazarus Jambadu
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  2. Alfred Dongzagla
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  3. Ishmael Kabange
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Correspondence to Alfred Dongzagla.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed consent

All of the interviewees who participated in the study did so voluntarily and with informed consent. Their names were not published in order to protect their privacy.

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Appendix 1: Interviews cited

Appendix 1: Interviews cited

  1. 1.

    Informant interview, GWCL official, February 4, 2021.

  2. 2.

    Interview, GWCL official, December 10, 2020.

  3. 3.

    Focus Group Discussion, GWCL official, December 20, 2020

  4. 4.

    Interview with Engineer, GWCL official, February 5, 2021

  5. 5.

    Focus Group Discussion, GWCL official, December 20, 2020

  6. 6.

    Interview with Technician, GWCL, March 2, 2021

  7. 7.

    Resident of Wapaani, March 10, 2021.

  8. 8.

    In-depth interviews, GWCL customers, Wapaani, March 2021

  9. 9.

    In-depth interviews, GWCL customers, Zongo, March 2021

  10. 10.

    In-depth interviews, GWCL customers, Kabanye, March 2020

  11. 11.

    In-depth interviews, GWCL customers, Zongo, March 2020

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Jambadu, L., Dongzagla, A. & Kabange, I. Understanding intra-urban inequality in networked water supply in Wa, Ghana. GeoJournal 88, 841–857 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10662-z

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